Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-06-17
PURIFY THE BALLOT.

The proposed amendment to the con-
stitution providing for the future con-
! duct of elections is q measure which
should receive the most hearty and I'M
qusltfed support of every voter in Texas.
II is a plain, simple and salutary pro-
vision which ell can understand and
appreciate. 1t reads as follows: "In all
! elections The voting shall be by ballot,
and the Legislature shall provide for the
numbering of tickets, and make such
other regulations as may be necessary to
detect and punish fraud and preserve the
purity of the ballot box; and the Leglsle.
ture msy provide by law for the
registration of all voters in all
cities containing population Of
10000 inhabitants or more, and in such
counties as the Legislature may deem ad
visable." This proposed law must strike
every voter as being just the thing need
full to insure a full and free ballot and q
fair count. No good citizen will counte-
nance Irregularities or illegalities in cleo.
tons. Unfortunately, eli are not good
citizens, and the opportunities given the
vicious by the lax and inadequate nature
of our election laws, in their present con-
dition, are such as to enable the rascality
and corrupt practices of the vicious to
thwart the will Of the people. The effort
to facilitate the detection of frauds prac-
ticed upon the people is creditable to the
wisdom of our legislators, whose action
in submitting the question to o
popular vote should be endorsed
and ratified by the people.
The proposed amendment allows the
Legislature ample latitude in which to
meet and provide for the punishment of
every violation of these fundamental
principles of representative government,
which are indissolubly entwined around
a free ballot and, though we have little 20
complain of in Texas, we should provide
for the future, when increased popula-
ton will make the struggle for place and
position fercer. The registration of
voters in cities Of 900 or more inhabi-
tsnts is also 6 wise provision. In the
rural districts the election Judges either
know personally or can ascertain to their
own satisfaction, the name Of every
one desiring to vote; his residence
and right to vote. There is no necessity
for registration other than in very ex-
ceptionsl cases when the county can, if IL
desires, take advantage of the law and
require registration. In the cities the
case is different. Here is concentrated
the idle, the vagsbond, the dissolute, the
tramp, the vicious Of every sort and the
criminal Of every shade. Here too IS
found that large floating element which
is always sc convenient to carry doubtful
boxes on election day. They have 20 in
terest in the cities further than getting
what they can On election day for their
votes, ard these votes aggregate very
often more than those Of the honest men
who have their homes and their all at
stake, because the latter vote only once,
while the irresponsible votes rs often
as he has an opportunity. In regis
traion we have cure fer all |
this. There can be no more Jramps |
rounded up and herded until election day |
to be voted for the man who pays most
.or then! to the election broker. Railroads |
cannot denude their lines end ill the vot-
ng boxes with non-residents to carry
;iJy elections, and the oce upation of the
rote broker will be gone. It will insure
or each city full and fair expression of
he popular viii on ell questions of in
crest to them without fear of having
heir votes outnunbered by the mercen-
~ ballots OF q migratory rabble.x 4,